Reports of strange creatures living amongst the crops has brought biologist Rogerio Cunha de Paula to find out more. His first move: to set up a network of camera traps. And the results have been extraordinary. Maned wolves. Normally found in natural grassland, seeing them living in crops was remarkable. We found so many wolves here that was incredibly surprising for us. I never expected to find the population in the good shape that we found here. Maned wolves are grassland specialists. They can eat a variety of food… small mammals, fruit, and even vegetables. Their extremely long legs make them the tallest of all wild dogs, and allow them to move through and see above tall vegetation. Their large ears help them listen for small prey hiding in the undergrowth. One swift pounce and lunch is served. As grassland specialists, they have learned to live in these vast sugarcane plantations. Here, there’s an abundance of prey for them to hunt. Until harvest time. When the maned wolves’ world is flattened. And the farms are so vast, there’s not enough natural grassland for the wolves to hunt in during the harvest time. But what can be done? Working with local farmers, Rogerio has come up with a brilliantly simple solution. By leaving some areas uncut during harvest season, the wolves have just enough crop to hunt in. And enough food and shelter to raise their pups. In return, the wolves help control rodents that eat the farmer’s crops.
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